The operating temperature for automotive exhaust valves has been dramatically increased and continues to be increased as new engine cycles are altered by the addition of anti-pollution devices. Increased exhaust gas temperatures are beneficial because they promote improved functioning of thermal reactors and permit some additional chemical reaction to take place within the exhaust system independent of either a thermal reactor or catalytic converter. Automotive companies currently use either an as-cast austenitic iron-base alloy or a forged austenitic iron-base alloy for such exhaust valves. The forged valves have shown good strength and other properties at high temperature conditions such as that to be experienced in the currently altered engine cycles; however, the forged valves are extremely expensive both as the result of their chemistry and their particular processing. A nominal analysis for a typical forged high-temperature alloy presently being used for automotive exhaust valve applications, would include: 21% chromium, 4% nickel, 9% manganese, 0.5% carbon, 0.4% nitrogen, 0.25% max. silicon, and the balance substantially iron. The as-cast valves, although offering considerable savings in processing, do not possess adequate high temperature properties to meet the needs of exhaust valve applications in the higher temperature operating engines. A typical analysis for an as-cast high-temperature alloy used currently in automotive exhaust valve applications includes: 15-18% chromium, 13-16% nickel, 0.3-0.6% manganese, 0.74-0.95% carbon, 2-3.5% silicon, 1% max. molybdenum, 1% max. copper, 3% max. cobalt, 0.35% max. of other impurities in total, and the remainder iron. The latter as-cast alloy should have a minimum hardness of R.sub.b 97 to assure a proper austenitic structure.